Among the hits were "Albatross", and the classical original version of "Black Magic Woman". 

 

To sweeten the deal, Danny Kirwan was hired as a third guitarist. 

Soon after, a radio DJ used "Albatross" as the background music for a few programs and when the producer of British TV's TOP OF THE POPS heard it, he decided to give them a chance with it on the air. It quickly went top ten in Britain, firmly establishing the group  at home. Not long after, Fleetwood Mac inked a pact with Warner Bros. and recorded the much acclaimed "THEN PLAY ON".

 

With their new solid reputation, the group looked toward increasing the contingent of American cult followers they had already accumulated. What happened was the beginning of a merry-go-round of personnel and sequent musical changes for the band.

 

In May of 1970, a dissillusioned Peter Green quit the band and eventually disapeared from the music business all together. Without green, Fleetwood Mac's future was in doubt.

 

Luckily, a replacement was found. Christine McVie, a songwriter-keyboardist joined the group. They later produced a wonderful record, "KILN HOUSE".

 

From there, they launched an American tour which produced the next casualty when Jeremy Spencer vanished from his L.A. hotal room one evening. To fill the void, Bob Welch was recruited on guitar and their sound took a dramatic turn, featuring pretty harmonies and the bouncing melodies which have become Christine's trademark.

 

They posted two successful albums ("BARE TREES" and "FUTER GAMES") before Danny Kirwan split to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Bob Weston.

 

The new lineup lasted through two albums and was probably the busiest Fleetwood Mac up to that time, spending as much as nine months a year on the road. Still they needed something to push them over the top and when the band was on holiday in 1974, that certain something happened.

 

The manager Clifford Davis approached the group with the prospect of doing another tour and when they turned down the request, Davis, claiming the rights to the group name, formed a new "Fleetwood Mac" and put them on the road.

 

When informed of this gross injustice, the real band was rightfully outraged and together they took legal action to put an end to the "bogus" Mac and Davis' managing tenure. With a new-found sense of identity which more than compensated for their lack of group image, Fleetwood Mac turned their energies to the studio and emerged with "HEROES ARE HARD TO FIND" plus a gruelling tour. Welch, by this time, was feeling confined by the band and left to form Paris, a heavy metal trio. Now enter Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, an accomplished duo in their own right on guitar and vocals respectively.

 

They recorded a new album intitled "FLEETWOOD MAC". This record proves that the new lineup was a beautiful combination. With hit songs like "Say You Love Me", "Rhiannon", "Krystal", and "World Turning".

 

Later "RUMOURS" was recorded and sold over 1,000,000 copies in the U.S., and millions more the world over.

 

Next was "TUSK", which contained hit songs "Sara" and "Tusk".

It didn't do as well as "RUMOURS", but it came through alright.

In the early 80s, "MIRAGE" was recorded. 

 

Everything was going well, but then tradgedy came. Lindsey decided to pursue a solo career and left.  So came guitarists Billy Burnette and Rick Vito, filling in for Buckingham.

 

Billy and Rick helped record "TANGO IN THE NIGHT", which carried such hits as "Everywhere", "Family Man", and "Seven Wonders".

 

In 1997, the group joined back together to record a live album, "THE DANCE".

 

Now, Lindsey, Stevie, John, and Mick are recording a new album which should be out sometimes in Spring of 2003!

 

-taken from the F&M album "THE DREAM"